Apple's Shift from Qualcomm to In-House Modems

In this video, the discussion centers around Apple's long-term strategy of moving away from Qualcomm for cellular modems due to high royalty fees. Since 2018, Apple has been developing its own modems to gain better control and reduce costs in the future. The acquisition of Intel’s modem group in 2019 for about $1 billion was a significant step in this process. Apple's competitive stance usually grants them the best terms with suppliers, but with Qualcomm, they have faced limitations, especially in the transition to 5G technology. Despite these challenges, Qualcomm remains the best in class for modem performance, making Apple's long-term goal ambitious. The focus is not only on current cost savings but also on integrating a smaller modem into their devices, allowing for innovative designs in the future. Additionally, the video unveils Apple's plans for a tabletop robot, featuring a large display and robotic functionalities to enhance communication experiences. This robot will be designed to track user movements and engage seamlessly during video calls. Priced around $1,000, it symbolizes Apple’s commitment to explore robotics. Over the next decade, the potential for Apple to advance toward humanoid robots is on the horizon, raising exciting possibilities for consumer technology.